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the OP wanted suggestions for a way to aid falling asleep after a night ride. i am not big on powerful sleep aids, and recommended a product that I have used, and in my research and experience is very low on the risk scale (according to my personal values and priorities, and at the dosage and low frequency I use it). there are possible side effects to everything we put into our bodies, and medical sites that detail all of the good bad and ugly.

i assume everybody will make the same personal value judgement before trying anything suggested here.

Well if the OP rides every night and is unable to sleep every night does this mean he needs to take melatonin every night? If some one has trouble getting up in the morning does this mean they need to take coffee to wake up and go?I'd like to say no to this because that's not the way the body is designed to go to sleep or wake up.

The body is designed to go to sleep and wake up by itself. It has it's own chemicals to go to sleep and wake up. When you introduce some thing else other than it's natural way of doing something then you are training it to rely on that substance. Substance training is in itself a patch to a problem. When you patch a problem with something you are not resolving the problem you are patching it. In doing this you expose it to other problems. So taking a "natural" pill here, and deficiency pill there really does not solve the root of the problem.

Some people might have deficiencies in the natural chemical produced by them but that is a different type of protocol that need to be used.

Sleep deficiency can also be linked to stress which can be taken care by removing the stressful situation.

_________________I never took drugs to improve my performance at any time. I will be willing to stick my finger into a polygraph test if anyone with big media pull wants to take issue. If you buy a signed poster now it will not be tarnished later. --Graeme Obree

I agree with your point about removing stress, but I've taken Valerian Root for quite a long time and take melantonin with it regularly. I also listen to biofeedback recordings and I've seen several sleep therapists as well as have sleep tests done. I have a very overactive mind that never shuts itself off and no lifestyle changes have made any difference (no alcohol, no coffee, no eating before bed, no sugars, dark environments after a certain time, etc.). I'd much rather take something natural once per week then start a cycling of insomnia, which can have effects for several days on end.

The sides you listed are less severe than those of popular NSAIDs. Most of the side effects noted were never replicated in any studies.

I have loads of sleep issues and have seen different therapists for years. One of my psychs actually was involved in a melatonin study during his residency and the occurrence of sides and severity of them was so far below anything else that's on the market that it was the only thing he would recommend for prolonged usage.

What you're describing isn't rare. Fast rides and races spike a ton of chemicals such as adrenalin and epinephrine that can stay elevated for a significant period of time after. I'd also make sure to hit your PWO nutrition as soon as possible because like others mentioned digestion and the release of CHO into the blood can keep you awake.

We have a weekly crit series here in the Summer and I get home around the same time. My solution was to take in as much of my nutrition as I could after from fast-digesting sources and then lay down and put my legs up. This helped to relax me a bit more and get to sleep better. It helps to be still 30min.-1hr before bed so make sure any chores you do after are done as fast as possible so your body can switch off its myriad 'go go go' pathways and realize that it now needs to rest.

_________________Don't take me too seriously. The only person that doesn't hate Froome.GramzStrava

I can stay a little amped after evening/night training rides as well - HR elevated, feeling tired but alert. Melatonin has worked well for me but I try to use it sparingly, certainly not every week. What does work on a weekly basis, and in great moderation of course, is just making sure that I have quiet time (usually on the couch w the wife and TV on) and sip some tasty non-carbonated recovery beverage... a glass of wine or a little scotch. Simple but effective.

how about reducing the hard efforts. so instead of 11/2 hors go 1:10 and use 20 to cool down. stretching is really effective. here is a list of what helps me sleepstretchingwarm showerwarm milk8oz of beera glass of winereadingsome heavily intrumented classical music

I get the same when I miss the right time to fall asleep - when I'm physically tired I need to hit the sack at 11PM or so, which is few hours earlier than usual. When I stay up as late as I do on regular days, I get the very same problem. That especially applies after hard, long races or rides.

It might be a good idea just to go to bed earlier than usual (even if not yet feeling sleepy). Give your body a chance to shut down a bit earlier and it might just do it.

i agree with stella about this so called naturally occuring substances. by providing the body with a substance that should be naturally occuring our bodies in the future might cut or drastically reduce the amount sintetized. it happens with hormones, if you are taking testosterone, the body shuts down its production and in turn increases its estrogen levels to balance out the other hormone.

@ roca and stella - do you have any studies to back up the worry/assumption that the body might/could change its melatonin production habits if the supplement is used? i agree this is a reasonable concern, but looked around the internets and couldn't find anything.

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